sfwloop the country hasn't officially gone over the fiscal cliff, but the uncertainty that senator barber boxer has talken about, may have already taken its toll. the dow is flat after it shed nearly 2% last week. the losses can pile up even more. according to the congressional budget office, the combination of dramatic spending cuts and tax hikes in the fiscal cliff could slow economic growth by a half a percentage point and send unemployment up to 9.1% over the course of 2013. the nonpartisan tax policy center calculate that is the average middle class family would see its tax rates -- its tax bills rise next year by $2,000. the fiscal cliff isn't the only thing rattling the economy. in just a few weeks lawmakers will begin battling over the debt ceiling. you may recall that in the summer of 2011 the debt limit standoff led to the first ever downgrade of the nation's credit rating. joining us now from capitol hill is cnbc's aman jabbers. appreciate you helping us make sense of all of this. >> happy new year. thank you for having me. >> on a less happy note, there are economists who are